Monday, March 7, 2011

this video is a compilation of crashes, and unlike todays videos of incredibly designed race cars, the roadsters and early racecars in this video didn't have many features that could save the lives of the drivers. No padded dashes, no airbags, no steering wheels that will bend and are concave so you don't get the column through your sternum, no roll cages or tops of any kind to keep the driver in during rollovers, no seat belts, and nothing like a crumple zone.

I'm posting this video because it's just as important to show the deadly reality of the origins of racing as it is the glamour of the modern victories... you may comprehend present design better if you know the primitive designs of the past, and that guys died before changes were made to make racing safer. Earnhardt was the last driver to die in NASCAR. They made improvements in several ways so another driver will live through the circumstances that killed him.

Hoep you aren't bummed out about watching this video, but it's rare to see real racing video from before WW2